Alexandre Rockwell is a renowned filmmaker, celebrated for his distinctive and captivating works, including In the Soup (1992) and 13 Moons (2002). His characters are meticulously crafted, imbued with complexity and imperfection, setting him apart from mainstream filmmakers.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Rockwell's affinity for filmmaking is deeply rooted in his family's legacy. His Russian-born grandfather, Alexander Alexeieff, was a renowned animator, and his American grandmother, Claire Parker, was a talented artist. They met and married in France, where they collaborated on animated films and pioneered the innovative pin-screen animation technique. Rockwell spent his late teens training in filmmaking with his grandfather in Paris, later attending the prestigious Cinémathèque Française to formally hone his craft.
By the early 1980s, Rockwell had established himself as a rising talent, with a string of short films and exhibitions at prominent institutions, including the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston and the Association of Independent Video and Film in New York City. This led to his first feature film, Lenz (1982),which premiered at the 1982 Berlin Film Festival and received critical acclaim. He followed up with Hero (1983),which won a Special Jury Prize at the 1984 Sundance Film Festival.
In 1986, Rockwell married Jennifer Beals, a Yale graduate and star of the hit film Flashdance (1983). The couple remained together until their divorce in 1996, during which time Rockwell took a hiatus from filmmaking, returning with Sons (1989). His subsequent film, In the Soup (1992),earned widespread critical acclaim and recognition at The Sundance Film Festival, featuring a talented cast including Steve Buscemi, Seymour Cassel, and Jennifer Beals.
Rockwell's next film, Somebody to Love (1994),received mixed reviews, but his segment in the omnibus movie Four Rooms (1995),titled "The Wrong Man", was well-received. His marriage to Beals ended, but the couple remained close friends. Unfortunately, Rockwell's next project, Louis & Frank (1998),a follow-up to In the Soup, failed to resonate with audiences.
However, Rockwell's fortunes changed with the release of 13 Moons (2002),a comedy featuring a talented ensemble cast, including Steve Buscemi and Karyn Parsons. The couple married on Valentine's Day in 2003. Rockwell's subsequent films, Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010) and Little Feet (2013),received critical acclaim, with the latter being entirely funded by a Kickstarter campaign.
After a seven-year hiatus, Rockwell returned to filmmaking with Sweet Thing (2020),starring his wife Karyn and their two children, which won the Crystal Bear award at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival. Throughout his career, Rockwell has remained committed to his unique vision and artistic approach, earning him a reputation as an iconoclast of the independent New York film movement of the 1990s.
